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View from Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

They say all good things must come to end and our Canadian adventure was not exempt from this rule.

It seems hard and unfair to draw any conclusions about Canada because it feels like we only explored about one percent of this vast country. I fear that in reality it could even be less than that!

Therefore, this final post in the Canada series draws a conclusion to our trip and is an opportunity to show some of the photos I didn’t get to include in previous posts.

Advert Alert! You may also be interested to know that a selection of photos from the trip are now available in the Gallery Shop

Let’s start with the top 5 most interesting things (in my mind anyway) I learned while on our Canadian adventure:

1. Canada is ma-hooos-if! (made up word to express an exaggerated “massive”) and it’s impossible to be satisfied with just one visit.

2. If you’re turning right you can drive through a red light (awesome!)

3. The awareness and concern for environmental issues in Canada appears to be a hundred times greater than what I’ve observed in the UK

4. The Royal British Columbia Museum is the greatest museum EVER!

5. Orca aka Killer Whale aren’t actually whales… they’re dolphins

One of the many Vancouver highlights was visiting the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park…

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Throughout our Canada trip I can’t recall anywhere we went that didn’t have some kind of First Nation gallery or shop. That may sound almost like a negative remark, but it’s not, we were fascinated and enjoyed every one we went into! The historic and contemporary existence of the First Nation populations is not a simple one. One of the best places to learn about their story (in addition to the Royal British Columbia Museum) is the Museum of Anthropology . It’s a place full of hidden treasures, fascinating stories and is a real must for any culture vulture!

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Eating in Canada was a serious pleasure. We had SO many delicious meals! Our first meal in Vancouver at Tony and Lianne’s and our BBQ on Gambier Island were really special, memorable and damn tasty! We were really lucky to eat out at some fantastic places (well, it was our honeymoon) and in no particular order, here’s my top 5 eateries from the trip:

1. Rebar, Victoria (Maybe the best vegetarian food you’ll ever eat)
2. Spotted Bear Bistro, Tofino (Probably my favourite meal of the trip)
3. The Teahouse, Stanley Park, Vancouver (Our last supper. Fine food, fine wine, fine company and a fine sunset over the sea. What a way to go!)
4. Common Loaf Bake Shop (Because you’ve got to tip your hat at some good coffee and a generous portion of cake!)
5. Cactus Cafe, English Bay, Vancouver (Another coastal view and some really gorgeous food. YAMS! Yum!)

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If you dig your food you’ve got to head to Granville Island Market. A mind boggling array of food is on offer and once you’ve had your fill, you can burn it off by touring the expansive maze of eclectic shops that are scattered throughout the rest of the island. They even have a broom stick shop!

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And as they say in the cartoons "That’s all folks!" (for now!) And as Arnie famously said "I’ll (we’ll) be back!"